"Conformation classes" usually involve a lot of walking around in circles, stopping, and showing your dog's teeth to somebody. That's fine as far as it goes, but what about all the skills the dog needs to show himself to his best advantage?
Hand stacking, free stacking, shifting centre of gravity, giving attention and expression, gaiting, baiting, being comfortable with being examined - as well as incidental arts such as relaxing on the grooming table, sleeping quietly in a crate, and peeing on cue - these are skills which divide winners from "cannon fodder" in the show ring.
This class is divided into Conformation Skillbuilding 1 and Conformation Skillbuilding 2. These two classes will take you from rank beginner to competent owner-handler. Better yet, they'll take your dog from cheerful bouncer to competent show dog! The Conformation Skillbuilding 2 class will be available as self study soon.
The best handlers always look like they're doing nothing at all, that they're only there because it isn't legal for the dog to be in the ring alone. That's because the best handlers have dogs trained so the handler is able to sit back and let the judge and gallery see the dog on display, rather than a handler struggling to get a dog to stand still. The best dogs look like they know what they're doing and do it naturally.
If you're ready to teach your dog to show everybody the best he can be, this class is for you. This is not a showmanship class. The training here is for your dog. You've seen dogs in the ring who don't know why they're there, don't know what's going to happen next, and don't know why the judge is staring at them. And you've seen them lose. I can't guarantee that training your dog will make him win in the show ring, but I can guarantee that without training, you're wasting your time and money. Nobody in any other dog sport would take an untrained dog in the ring. Why should you?
It's called a dog SHOW, right? Go in there and show them what a well-trained, happy, confident dog looks like!
This class will work in three areas: focus, hand stacking, and gaiting on the circle.
Susan Finlay Ailsby (she/her) has retired from active teaching for FDSA. She is a retired obedience and conformation judge. She has been "in dogs" for 54 years, having owned and trained Chihuahuas, miniature pinschers, miniature longhaired dachshunds, Australian cattle dogs, miniature schnauzers, giant schnauzers, and Portuguese...(Click here for full bio and to view Sue's self-study courses)
- A food-motivated dog and some experience with clicker training.
Equipment:
- A grooming table. Yes, you too. If you don't have one or your dog is too large for a standard grooming table, you can make do with a piece of plywood covered with non-slip mats. Set this plywood up on bricks to make a very secure platform that is off the ground. Height is not an issue, but a break from the ground will make your life much easier and help you see exactly what your dog is doing with her feet.
- Show tack. The lead and collar of your choice. If you don't know enough yet to HAVE a choice, you are welcome to begin with a small buckle collar and a narrow leash.
- Non-greasy soft bait cut in manageable pieces. If you're using wieners (hot dogs), be sure to roll them in a kitchen towel for a few minutes before you use them to remove the sticky-slippery factor.
- A copy of your own breed standard from the venue you'll be showing in - American Kennel Club, Canadian Kennel Club, Australian Kennel Club, and so on. Each club has their own breed standard and what's considered outstanding in one may be a disqualification in another, so know your standard!
- A long leash - at least 6 feet. This doesn't have to be a show lead.
Now that you have her feet anchored where you want them, you need to pull her "up over herself". Ideally, you'll want the dog stretched out as far as she can go - front feet and back feet as far apart as possible - while still making sure that the front legs from the elbow to the floor are straight up and down, and the back legs from the hock joint to the floor are straight up and down. Totally vertical. ZERO rocking-horse impression.
Too far forward, straight shoulder, tense topline, nose up.
Too far back, no rear angulation, nothing behind the tail.
As I mentioned, the average dog, being asked to move forward, will step first with a back foot. Now that you've taught your dog to anchor her back legs and shown her that she can step forward/sideways to move her front legs into the position we want them, stack her up, put a little pressure on the collar to tell her that it will support her if she leans into it, then lure her VERY SLIGHTLY forward so that she shifts her WEIGHT forward without moving ANY of her feet. If she does shift her weight forward, click, reward, and let her sink back into neutral. Repeat.
If she steps forward with any foot instead of shifting her weight forward, pull your bait or hand lure away, stand still for a count of 3 to emphasize that what she did won't be paid, then begin again and ask for less. If she STILL can't shift weight without moving a paw, go back and work the arcs and the zigzag again to remind her of her anchored back paws.
Now use your lure to pull her forward again.
THE SECRET "TELL"
Yes, you need to be able to see her legs to be able to tell whether or not she's in the correct position. For this, a mirror mounted on the wall across from your grooming/training table is almost a necessity. BUT we're not yet trying to get her into the perfect position. That would be lumping. All we're trying to do right now is teach her to pull her weight forward without moving her feet. To see her doing that, you don't need a mirror - you can merely look at her KNICK.
Knick is a neat word that I can't find in any dictionary, yet I've known it since I was a child. The standard English word "nick" means (The Free Dictionary) "A shallow notch, cut, or indentation on an edge or a surface", which seems close, though not spelled correctly and not pronounced the same. Our doggy "knick" is pronounced like Canuck, only Canick. ("K'n" for canine maybe?). So, K-nick is a k-neat word! It describes the shallow notch or indentation in the dog's back caused by the spines of the vertebrae changing size and direction (red arrow). Basically, muscles attached to the dog's spine in and in front of the thoracic (part with the ribcage) area "hold together" the front part of the dog and connect it to the rear, and muscles attached to the dog's spine in and behind the lumbar (part with the loin, belly) area hold the "keester" on and connect it to the front. In between is the knick.
The red arrow points to the knick.
This is a wonderful photo that was recently taken of my Syn at a water-training camp. I love it because it so clearly shows the change of direction of EVERYTHING at the knick. FYI, this is NOT a dog with a saggy or broken topline. This is a strong, sound, athletic Champion/Group-placing/working dog with a very strong, correct topline. It looks like that because part of its function is as a spring. As you can see from her back legs, she is launching fast and hard off a platform into swimming-depth water, using every bit of muscle and spring that she possesses to drive up and out.
And here's what it looks like when the spring has uncoiled.
Photos by Wendy Parker.
Why is the knick important to us? Because the muscles that pull the dog's weight forward are visible just behind the knick. When she pulls forward, the knick muscles tighten and her skin will shift. You can see this fairly easily, so when you're asking her to pull forward, you can click... oh dear, and we're all going to chant together now... CLICK that KNICK FLICK! Sorry about that. When you see the knick muscles tighten, you know she's pulling forward. Like any other muscle, the longer she holds that flick, the more she's working the muscles. The more she works the muscles, the stronger they'll get, and the easier it will be for her to hold the position.
HOMEWORK: Giving your dog some collar support, anchor her feet and then show her that she can lean forward, flicking her knick.
You know what to do with this - when you get the flick, increase the duration. Get her to stand for longer and longer periods of time with that muscle tight. Watch the feet! First the anchored feet, THEN the knick flick.
This is a lot easier for some dogs than others.
If you're having trouble with this, take a look at these photos/drawings:
In the first photo, she's stretched too far forward. She had to move her front feet forward so she's posting (rocking horse) in order to reach the treat without falling on her nose.
In the second photo, she's stretched UP, which has greatly improved the look of her rear end, and flattened her back, but I've left her nose up in the air, though the leash is giving her plenty of support. Look at the position of the leash/collar in relation to her front feet. What's bad about this position is that I've drastically shortened her neck and reduced the appearance of her withers. This is a very common position for show dogs to be in. Lucky for you, your dog will look better!
In the third photo, I've got her forward, but I've tilted her nose down, her back is flat, she has front and rear angulation, and an apparently long neck with a nice arch and good withers. Here are the same photos with some indication of what's happening:
The third photo is correct. Her neck is long and arched. Her topline is flat with a good show of withers. Front and rear angulation or well accounted for. This is the posture that produces the knick flick.
Now let's look at a human "topline". In the first photo, Gary is standing upright in a neutral position. His back, like all humans, is slightly concave.
When Gary pushed his neck and head forward (second photo), his back is straighter - in a dog this would be humped. In the third photo, he stretched his head up, as if trying to pick cherries with his teeth. In a human, this is much more concave. In a dog, it would be a very pretty flat back, but if you try it, you'll notice that the back of your skull is sitting right on your shoulders. No neck length at all.
HOMEWORK: Work it and work it until it's easy for her, and until she can give you a lot more duration than you had when you started.
PUT THE PUZZLE TOGETHER
You have all the pieces now:
1. Your dog will give you control of her head.
2. She'll give you control of her back feet. You can move them manually, or, if she's built well enough, you can walk her into a position where they're perfect. If manually, her giving you control means that you can twist them hither and yon a bit to get them into the perfect position if she happens to want to stand a bit cowhocked or openhocked.
3. She'll give you control of her front feet. You can move them manually or you can use your built-in Yes hand lure to ask her to move left, or right, or left-or-right-and-forward until they're exactly where you want them.
4. She'll give you control of her centre of gravity. Since her back feet are anchored and she won't move her front feet straight forward, you can give her some anti-Zen collar support and ask her to give you a knick flick.
5. With your anti-Zen collar, your Yes hand and your Yes floor targets, you can ask her to watch your hand or to look off in the distance (making the judge think she has just spotted a gazelle she about to chase down and devour).
We'll get the tail up in another lesson, but for now, once you have the knick flick, start putting everything together and let's see what you've got!
A SAMPLING OF WHAT PRIOR STUDENTS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS COURSE ...
I have taken handling classes before, but the information and videos from the Conformation materials were clear and very useful, and my handling skills have improved, as well as my dogs understanding of what she needs to do. Bonnie C.
I felt that this was the best Fenzi course I have taken yet. I was really impressed by the instructor's knowledge and ability to teach this in small easy to learn bits. I have taken other courses where the course work was too vague or too much to achieve. She also encouraged us to work on each part until we have mastered it. I never felt behind and I loved the MANY lessons rather than one big lesson once a week. Elizabeth Z.
I was a bronze level student in Sue's conformation skills class.-This is my first time taking an online course from FA. Wow! Very thorough and more information than I could process in 6 weeks. I'm so glad that I have access for another year. There was no "fluff" only relevant, interesting and helpful information. And a LOT of it. I hate to say it was a fantastic bargain for fear you'll raise the fee. ;) I more than got my money's worth, and will definitely sign up for more classes. Thank you, thank you. Cindy S.
Perfect course for me. The finer techniques to stacking that I have been needing and wanting to learn for yrs but hadn't been able to find that person to teach me.
I have shown in conformation with some success and continue to view DVDs and attend shows to observe and learn. This class is totally unique and teaches us to train our dog and ourselves like nothing I've seen before. We are still working through the course materials and progressing slowly, but most definitely surely. Lila H.
Sue is a rare gem; the right balance of compassion and firmness with the ability to share her vast knowledge effectively.
I paid twenty dollars an hour to run my puppy around a ring with other dogs and never got the tiniest fraction of the information that I got in this class!
Registration
This is a self-study class. The lectures will appear directly in your library, under the "Self Study classes" heading. Self Study classes do not have class homework forums. You will not have any access to the course instructor for questions or feedback. Please note there are no refunds on self-study classes so review all the information provided carefully before purchasing.
You will have access to these materials in your library for one year from the date of enrollment. You can keep your library pass current by enrolling in at least one course or workshop a year. Alternatively, you can purchase a library pass for $25 per year for as long as you wish to have access to prior class materials.
Instructor: Sue Ailsby
Too far forward, straight shoulder, tense topline, nose up.
